Main Menu
Audiophiles, Beware: New Technics Turntable Gone Digital
Tuesday, 15 December 2009 08:25 | Written by Lawrence Quintana
Technics has been the be all, end all turntable brand for the past thirty years thanks to its revolutionary SL-1200 model, which became the highest selling and most popular turntable in all history. Technics seems to have realized its tremendous accomplishment, as they haven't released a successful model since the SL-1200.
Technics has been the be all, end all turntable brand for the past thirty years thanks to its revolutionary SL-1200 model, which became the highest selling and most popular turntable in all history. Technics seems to have realized its tremendous accomplishment, as they haven't released a successful model since the SL-1200.
That's all set to change as Technics unveils it SL-DZ1200, a direct drive turntable that has gone completely digital. This model is the first of its kind to offer MP3 playback and the ability to play CD's instead of LP's. DJ's worldwide are crying foul at this -- nothing can match the power and sound of a vinyl turntable, right? MP3 files are in essence encoded files, which naturally result in lower sound quality than the big records.
The question remains: is the quality loss insignificant enough that DJ's can still go out and play professionally with this model? And might it even be better to have all their songs on a memory card rather than having to haul boxes of LP's to every gig?
So Much Potential And Features For Modern DJ's
This turntable has a load of potential. Bringing CD's and MP3 files into the mix had to happen eventually, and Technics is just the respected brand needed to bring this new method to the mainstream. There's a lot to like: there are many more new options that a DJ can utilize in their live show. Not only does this bad boy simulate the vinyl sound effectively, but it's built to look and feel like its vinyl counterpart.
DJ's can use sample banks to save loops and bring them back up whenever they want, even spin these loops at the same time, and keep them longterm for use at the next gig courtesy of an SD card. There are various cues that the DJ can use to save and recall, a reverse switch, and freewheeling capabilities. Wrap all this stuff together and you have a solid touring machine that has enough options to keep a show interesting for hours.
The Down Side
Technics has inadvertently created a turntable with just as many unfortunate sides as good. There is an eight to thirty second lag time when you load CD's, which can cause headaches if you're not ready for this, particularly in front of live crowds. If you're any good at being a DJ, you can work the crowd for thirty seconds, but one is still tempted to say, "But vinyl never lagged." You're right, by the way.
The second biggest complaint is the vinyl simulation of this turntable. The idea is to present a turntable that sounds similar to the groundbreaking SL-1200 model, but it's obvious to anyone listening it's not authentic. It's a very good imitation, but it's still just an imitation. Authentic vinyl honestly can't be beat.
The most troublesome issue with Technics' SL-DZ1200 turntable is the loss in sound quality courtesy of MP3 files. Even if you're careful to rip all your MP3s as high bit rate recordings, the loss is still noticeable at high volumes; it's never going to match the vibrance of vinyl.
And then there's the backbreaking problem: its ridiculous price. The SL-DZ1200 is going for a whopping $1,199.95 according to Technics' website. Who can afford to shell out a couple thousand dollars on a turntable whose sound doesn't even equal that of machines thirty years older? Buying it simply doesn't make sense.
A Final Conclusion: SL-DZ1200 Too Little For Too Much
The SL-DZ1200 has a lot of features to like and a lot of problems that will take away from your experience as well. You can fool around with the crowd for thirty seconds to allow your CD to finally spin, you can scratch until you're blue in the face and store as many songs as you want on an incredibly portable SD card, but at the end of the day vinyl sounds like vinyl, and this isn't vinyl.
But fun never paid anybody enough to afford the mortgage. Does the SL-DZ1200 live up to its Technics name? Depressing as it is to say, no, it doesn't.
by LawrenceQuintana
Technics has been the be all, end all turntable brand for the past thirty years thanks to its revolutionary SL-1200 model, which became the highest selling and most popular turntable in all history. Technics seems to have realized its tremendous accomplishment, as they haven't released a successful model since the SL-1200.
That's all set to change as Technics unveils it SL-DZ1200, a direct drive turntable that has gone completely digital. This model is the first of its kind to offer MP3 playback and the ability to play CD's instead of LP's. DJ's worldwide are crying foul at this -- nothing can match the power and sound of a vinyl turntable, right? MP3 files are in essence encoded files, which naturally result in lower sound quality than the big records.
The question remains: is the quality loss insignificant enough that DJ's can still go out and play professionally with this model? And might it even be better to have all their songs on a memory card rather than having to haul boxes of LP's to every gig?
So Much Potential And Features For Modern DJ's
This turntable has a load of potential. Bringing CD's and MP3 files into the mix had to happen eventually, and Technics is just the respected brand needed to bring this new method to the mainstream. There's a lot to like: there are many more new options that a DJ can utilize in their live show. Not only does this bad boy simulate the vinyl sound effectively, but it's built to look and feel like its vinyl counterpart.
DJ's can use sample banks to save loops and bring them back up whenever they want, even spin these loops at the same time, and keep them longterm for use at the next gig courtesy of an SD card. There are various cues that the DJ can use to save and recall, a reverse switch, and freewheeling capabilities. Wrap all this stuff together and you have a solid touring machine that has enough options to keep a show interesting for hours.
The Down Side
Technics has inadvertently created a turntable with just as many unfortunate sides as good. There is an eight to thirty second lag time when you load CD's, which can cause headaches if you're not ready for this, particularly in front of live crowds. If you're any good at being a DJ, you can work the crowd for thirty seconds, but one is still tempted to say, "But vinyl never lagged." You're right, by the way.
The second biggest complaint is the vinyl simulation of this turntable. The idea is to present a turntable that sounds similar to the groundbreaking SL-1200 model, but it's obvious to anyone listening it's not authentic. It's a very good imitation, but it's still just an imitation. Authentic vinyl honestly can't be beat.
The most troublesome issue with Technics' SL-DZ1200 turntable is the loss in sound quality courtesy of MP3 files. Even if you're careful to rip all your MP3s as high bit rate recordings, the loss is still noticeable at high volumes; it's never going to match the vibrance of vinyl.
And then there's the backbreaking problem: its ridiculous price. The SL-DZ1200 is going for a whopping $1,199.95 according to Technics' website. Who can afford to shell out a couple thousand dollars on a turntable whose sound doesn't even equal that of machines thirty years older? Buying it simply doesn't make sense.
A Final Conclusion: SL-DZ1200 Too Little For Too Much
The SL-DZ1200 has a lot of features to like and a lot of problems that will take away from your experience as well. You can fool around with the crowd for thirty seconds to allow your CD to finally spin, you can scratch until you're blue in the face and store as many songs as you want on an incredibly portable SD card, but at the end of the day vinyl sounds like vinyl, and this isn't vinyl.
But fun never paid anybody enough to afford the mortgage. Does the SL-DZ1200 live up to its Technics name? Depressing as it is to say, no, it doesn't.
About the Author:
Technics is for sure the most popular set of record turntables in the world due to the innnovative SL-1200 model conceived three decades ago. Pick one of these turntables up today and try your hand at it, and also get a pair of Technics headphones while you're at it to experience the best monitoring. Only purchase from realiable suppliers for quality and durable original equipment.